“We can transform your silhouette from mild to menacing in just 10 days!”

Why should Day Z have all the fun, or for that matter, make all the money? These could very well be the questions that led to the creation and subsequent announcement of H1Z1. Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) this week announced its own entry in the booming (seriously, there is still no end in sight) zombie subgenre, and its latest offering is certain to draw comparisons with the industry’s favourite mod.

In an announcement post on Reddit, SOE president John Smedley described H1Z1 as “a massively multiplayer game in which players fight for survival in a world where death is the only sure thing.” In addition to fending off “the infected”, players will need to contend with “all kinds of wild animals and the brutality of other survivors, as well as finding your next meal and a safe place to sleep.” Becoming adept at the game’s crafting system will also be important to success.